What Book Are You Reading at the moment?

[altipueri]

Well, volume 2 finished so onto Marlborough and the War of the Spanish Succession.


There is a Matrix/Ageod game on this now little known era:

https://www.matrixgames.com/game/wars-of-succession

[Kuokkanen]

Close Proximity by Chris J. Pike. Retired military officer captains an armed salvage ship and gets an offer from military she can't refuse. Got some Firefly vibes.

[warspite1]

I haven't read anything about the Napoleonic wars for so long....

.... but watching Napoleon has got the interest back!!

I'll start with Napoleon The Final Verdict (Heythornthwaite). I bought this back in the late nineties and recall it was an excellent read. Various historians comment up Napoleon's career in three distinct phases; The making of a legend, the tarnishing of the myth, and then the myth destroyed. Let's hope its as good second time around.

Don't know if you've read this one but knowing your love of the WW2 RN I highly recommend you check it out.

https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/con ... 472857682/

warspite1

Thanks for the recommendation. I've read about this convoy as part of more general works on convoys, u-boats etc. but I've not read a work devoted to it. It certainly is of interest but I will probably wait until there is a paperback.

The next jobs on my list are to re-read the wonderful:

The German Invasion of Norway
Battle for Norway (Haarr)

These works provide everything one needs to know about this most fascinating of campaigns - with the accent on the naval side of things.

[ttomz]

I just finished "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. It is a classic novel that deals with serious issues like racial injustice and moral growth in the American South.

[ron454]

Hi! I'm currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It's a fantastic exploration of where our food comes from and its impact on our health and the environment. If you're interested in food and nutrition, you might find this link helpful: https://booksrun.com/blog/best-nutritio ... beginners/. It has some great suggestions for beginner-friendly nutrition books. What's interesting about Sapiens so far?

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy
by Walter Willett

[warspite1]

...and finally. I've championed the work of Geirr H Haarr for years on these forums and have been long awaiting his next offering (assuming he was going to produce one). And I came across this by accident today. Ordered immediately!!!!

Obviously Haarr went into the battle in some detail in his book on the Invasion of Norway, but this promises to be more in depth. Can't wait for this one to arrive.....

warspite1

Finally got round to starting this one. One chapter in and so far so good

[warspite1]

A new Osprey Campaign series book is due before Christmas - hussar!!

Mers-el-Kebir 1940

[-pag-]

I like to combine game playing with reading on the subject. I’ve been playing a lot of “Steam & Iron : The Great War at Sea“ from NWS , so I combined this with “Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea” by R. Massie. This dusty&trusty fav of mine that reads easily and explains the battles and the larger role of naval power in WWI for a layman like myself .

[jhyden]

A new game (TWRome2) and a new book on order:




From the annals of Tacitus we get a one-sided vision of the Romano-Germanic wars. More recent scholarship, including Osprey's Teutoburg Forest Campaign book, paints a more balanced picture. Yet, there's still a lot of ground to cover on the subject.

The reigns of Augustus and his successor Tiberius saw an epic struggle between the Romans and local peoples for the territory between the Rhine and Elbe rivers in what is now Germany. Following two decades of Roman occupation, Germania Magna erupted into revolt in AD 9 following the loss of the three legions commanded by Publius Quinctilius Varus to the Cheruscan nobleman Arminius and an alliance of Germanic nations in the dense forests of the Teutoburger Wald. The Romans' initial panic subsided as it became clear that Arminius and his allies could not continue the war into Germania Inferior on the western bank of the Rhine, and Imperial troops poured into the region as the Romans decided how best to resolve the situation.

In AD 14 Tiberius' adopted son, Germanicus Caesar, quelled a mutiny among Roman forces in the area, then took his men on a quick punitive raid into Germanic territory. In the following year he snatched the wife and father-in-law of Arminius and located the site of the 'Varian Disaster', where he oversaw burial of the bones of Roman dead and erected a cenotaph. In AD 16 Germanicus set out to engage his Cheruscan adversary and defeat him decisively with a view to tipping the balance of power in the region as a prelude to restoring full Roman control over territory between the Rhine and the Elbe. By that summer, the Germanicus had tracked down Arminius to a location on the Weser River in the region of modern-day Minden. An initial engagement - called the battle of Weser River - ended in a draw when a Roman cavalry charge was repulsed by Arminius' own cavalry and Germanicus withdrew his men. Having transferred his force across the river and camped for the night, he laid out a plan for a set-piece battle with his opponent at a place called the Plain of Idistaviso.

Idistaviso was the first battle the Romans won against Arminius since Teutoburg. It proved they could beat him. Despite his unique understanding of both Roman and Germanic strategy and tactics, Arminius' failure to anticipate the Roman defence in depth, compounded by dissimilarities in arms and equipment, and confusion on the ground, made this battle particularly vicious and bloody. Better led and disciplined, and with a robust battle strategy, Germanicus' men decisively defeated Arminius'. At the ensuing battle of the Angrivarian Wall the Romans crushed the Germans again.

Featuring full-color artwork, specially drawn maps and an array of revealing illustrations depicting weapons, equipment, key locations and personalities, this study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, combat performance, and subsequent reputations of the Roman soldiers and their Germanic opponents pitched into a series of pivotal actions on the Imperial frontier that would influence Roman/German relations for decades to come.


===================
Also, this topic was covered in this Xcellent series by Invicta (repost from 2022):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyzY4ayG8R4


------
best wishes to all
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[altipueri]

Cromwell by Antonia Fraser

Spycatcher by Peter Wright

[warspite1]

The Malta Convoys 1940-1943 Woodman

I bought this second hand some years ago - about time I read it.

[Aurelian]

Twenty Yards to the Outhouse by Willie Makit, illustrated by Betty Wont and published by Andy Dint.

The Most and the Least by Maxi & Minnie Mum.

Kitty's Revenge by Claude Balls.

[Kuokkanen]

Julio Verne is on the top list.

Who is this?

[RangerJoe]

Twenty Yards to the Outhouse by Willie Makit, illustrated by Betty Wont and published by Andy Dint.

The Most and the Least by Maxi & Minnie Mum.

Kitty's Revenge by Claude Balls.

*Isn't there an audio book version narrated by Loosie Bowels who is assisted by the Hershey Squirts?

[warspite1]

Not much in the way of "must have" books for Christmas sadly. Seaforth Publishing has a book about the Hawkins class - which is coming soon. Could be worth a punt.....

Meanwhile Osprey have teased us with forthcoming titles for 2025. Some interesting titles to come:

France 1940
South Atlantic 1982
East Africa 1940-41
Second Sirte 1942
Nomonhan/Khalkin Gol 1939
Battle of the Atlantic 1939-41
Battle of the Atlantic (2) 1942-1943
Second Arakan 1943-1944
Convoy PQ-17 1942

Tasty

[Thecode]

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer

[Kuokkanen]

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer

Let me guess: it's about an American escort carrier group and their destroyer escort stopping a Japanese battleship fleet led by BB Yamato.
"Dammit boys! They're getting away!"

[Thecode]

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer

Let me guess: it's about an American escort carrier group and their destroyer escort stopping a Japanese battleship fleet led by BB Yamato.
"Dammit boys! They're getting away!"

Spot on! The way those destroyers and escort carriers fought against the Japanese battleships is just mind-blowing. Johnston and Roberts charged straight into the enemy fleet - pure courage. Dame, I love rewatching a midway movie.

[Kuokkanen]

A year ago, the legend passed away...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQnKF5BFO2k

[OldSarge]

A year ago, the legend passed away...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQnKF5BFO2k

Wow! I didn't know about his passing! I need to dig out the Hammer's Slammers series and re-read them!